Lelouch vi Britannia/Lelouch Lamperouge (Seed)
"War only breeds hatred and more war!" Lelouch Lamperouge, formerly named Lelouch vi Britannia, is the protagonist of Code Geass: The Seed of Freedom. Seven years prior to the story, he was the 11th Prince of the Holy Empire and 17th heir to the throne. Personality/Design "The boy I saw that day was someone who had seen something that no one should ever have to witness..." -Shirley Fenette Unlike his previous incarnations, Lelouch's mindset is similar to that of Kira Yamato from Mobile Suit Gundam Seed. He dislikes the notion of fighting unless it is truly necessary or when you are being oppressed, however he absolutely despises war, as he experienced its horrors during the bombing of Japan when Britannia invaded. He also does not see what one can benefit from war, as he believes that there is only death and loss that comes from war, as well as hatred and the birth of more war. However, despite this view, Lelouch is not afraid to resist Britannia's ideals, and even formed the organization Londo Bell, The Seed of Freedom's incarnation of the Order of the Black Knights for the purpose of liberating not only Area 11, but those like it. Unlike his other incarnations, Lelouch is more trusting of his allies, as he revealed his face to Kallen when he told that, should he stray from the path he set himself on, she was to kill him without hesitation. This has earned him both admiration and respect to those in and outside of Londo Bell, as he is considered to be a liberator to those in Japan. However, what has truly earned him recognition is that he values human life, and prioritizes it above everything else. An example of this was during the battle of Narita. When the landslide is triggered, Rai's Gekka Pre-Production Test Type Knightmare would cause a similar reaction, only this was meant to divert the mudflow away from the city. Appearance "He may not realize it, but... Lelouch is pretty much the biggest hunk in the whole school!" -Rivalz Cardemonde During the events of R1: The Seed of Freedom, Lelouch is a fairly tall individual with black hair that reaches down to the collar of his shirt while his bangs hang off of his forehead. As stated several times through out the story, his defining feature is his purple eyes, which as captivated the hearts of many women in the past. Outside of school, Lelouch wears a brown jacket with black trims, a black shirt underneath, and blue jeans with leather shoes. While masquerading as Zero, Lelouch wears a skin-tight purple suit with an overturned collar, revealing a white muffler, which can be seen underneath the black cloak he wears. The cloak reaches down near his calves with the coat tails splitting near the abdomen, possessing a high collar with a pointed edge. His trademark black mask has five prongs, giving it a reminiscent shape of a crown with a purple orb in the center, a wider gold version of the Geass sigil underneath the orb with the wings covered around it. Plot The Dark Messiah of Japan For Whom The Bell Tolls Curse of the King Viva la Rebellion Powers and Abilities Geass Since meeting C.C. and forging a contract with her, Lelouch gained the power of Geass, which has been referred to as the Power of the King. According to C.C., the power of Geass manifests differently for each person, and has different properties. Out of all the Geass shown in the series, Lelouch's has been explored the most. Lelouch bears the "Geass of Absolute Obedience", which grants him the power to control others. However, in order for this to be accomplished, there are flaws and downsides to it. *Lelouch requires direct eye contact with his intended target. Lenses do not pose a problem, however tinted sunglasses or shades pose a problem. *The subject must be within 200 meters of Lelouch's field of vision. *Geass can be reflected off of surfaces such as looking glass and mirrors. *Affects only the nervous system. **This particular subject grants Lelouch a variety of commands. If he were to tell a person that they were now diarrhetic, they would be. However, such commands will damage the nervous system, raising the possibility that further commands will be negated. However, it was revealed that, during his encounter with the Britannian Soldiers after he made his contract with C.C. that he somehow gained an additional power, the "Geass of Absolute Awakening", which was a result of his body being genetically enhanced. This Geass seemingly activates whenever Lelouch wills it or when his life is threatened. The Geass is similar to that of SEED mode, a state in which the subject experiences heightened senses and abilities. Examples include: *Increased Strength *Enhanced Reflexes *Improved Reaction Time *Heightened Senses *Improved Geass **While Absolute Awakening is active, the properties of Lelouch's Absolute Obedience Geass are increased, allowing him to bypass a few rules. Sunglasses no longer prove a problem, and distance no longer matters. If one looks into Lelouch's Geass through a monitor, they will be affected. A downside to this Geass, however, is that once Absolute Awakening is deactivated, Lelouch undergoes a relapse in which his body starts to become unresponsive for a short period of time, examples being his body becoming numb, inability to move limbs, and ect. Because of this, Lelouch uses Absolute Awakening only when he is pushed to his limits or when he has no choice. A noteworthy detail is that, unlike Absolute Obedience, which stems to his left eye, Absolute Awakening's Geass sigil can be seen in both eyes, hinting that it is already fully developed. Quotes "There's nothing to gain from war. No honor, no glory, no spoils of victory... Just death. Death and sadness, and the never-ending hatred." "I order you, in the name of Lelouch vi Britannia... 'Never Kill Again!"' -'''''to the Britannian Soldiers "If a king does not lead his subordinates, how can he expect them to follow? And even then, would they still listen to him?" - to Rivalz Cardemonde "Who cares if you're Japanese? You're my friend, and Nunnally's. If anyone has any problems with it, they have to talk to me." -to Suzaku Kururugi "Q-1... or rather, Kallen. Should I ever stray from this path, you are to shoot me in the back." -to Kallen Stadfeld/Kallen Kouzuki "I am no messiah, and I am no liberator... I'm just a single person, one who despises war and everything related to it." -to Euphemia li Britannia "We are the ones who shall ring the bells of reckoning. We are ''Londo Bell, and we bow to no one, God and otherwise!"'' -his declaration to the world Relationships Nunnally vi Britannia/Nunnally Lamperouge Suzaku Kururugi Milly Ashford Shirley Fenette Rivalz Cardemonde Kallen Stadfeld/Kallen Kouzuki Marianne vi Britannia Clovis la Britannia Cornelia li Britannia Euphemia li Britannia Schneizel el Britannia Charles zi Britannia C.C. Trivia *Lelouch's Geass of Absolute Awakening can be seen as the story's variation of SEED mode. **It is also possible that Lelouch is capable of SEED mode, as he is the only Coordinator in the story. However, he has yet to release it. *Lelouch, during a covert mission, went under the alias Kira Yamato, the name of the protagonist of Mobile Suit Gundam Seed. *Lelouch appears to have already known about Suzaku being the pilot of the Lancelot Knightmare, as he saw Suzaku entering the machine back at the Shinjuku ghetto when he was showing Rai around the city. *Lelouch's love interest in the story is Kallen, however he does harbor feelings for Shirley Fenette. *Like Setsuna F. Seiei from Mobile Suit Gundam 00, Lelouch considers Gundam to be his savior, as he saw the Strike Gundam for the first time seven years prior to the story.